CHAPTER 3
Jackie
I caught a glimpse of him while I was fumbling with my map. I can’t even tell which side is up on this darn thing.
A few seconds ago I flipped it over and saw him right in my line of sight. I tried not to stare even though he was…right at me!
I’d heard all the sayings about Greek guys and had no idea if they were true or not. But oh my god were they ever. At least in his case.
He was an absolute Adonis. Tall, tanned, and beyond toned. He had the bluest of eyes which didn’t look at you, they looked through you. The contrast against his skin and hair was breathtaking. He’s the kind of guy who could immediately make me forget about my ex.
I’ve never had a fling, whatever that means, but after what happened to me back in Seattle I’m actually considering it. It could be a good way to help relieve some stress and feel good about myself again, or at least try. I’m still not sure if I could even go through with it or if a guy like that would even want to, but my mind is definitely spinning at the possibilities.
But when I look a little lower I know right away he’s not that kind of guy. I see the cutest little girl in the world tugging at his fingertips. Oh my gosh, he’s a dad. Now I feel like a home-wrecker for even having those thoughts. I’m worse than my ex’s home wrecker in San Francisco…if he even bothered to tell him about me.
But that’s old news. I need to block that out. I’m in Greece to have fun. There will be other guys, although I’m still pretty bummed this guy’s not available. And why is he still looking at me like that?
I keep my eyes on my map and forget about it. I need to sort out where I am, where I’m going, and where I’m going to stay. That whole idea of just running to the airport for a getaway works great in the movies, but this is real life. I’m tired, hungry, and need a shower. If I don’t get them soon I know there’s a good chance I’m going to get grumpy and this day could start spiraling real quick.
I think I’m figuring out this map when all of the sudden a big body steps in front of me. I look down and see that little girl. It’s him!
She waves at me as her dad pulls off her Hello Kitty luggage. How cute!
But wait? What is he doing now? He’s reaching for my bag!
I lean in and grab it, but he’s too quick. I keep my hand on top of his. He’s not getting my bag. Is he one of those robbers I’ve seen on TV shows? He uses a cute child to distract you and then he runs off with all your stuff? Oh my god I’m like one of those dumb first time tourists and he’s about to steal everything I brought with me.
My heart is beating fast as the TSA agent, or whatever they’re called here, comes over to see what’s going on.
The part I can’t explain is that part of my excitement is from the adrenaline of catching this thief, but part of it is from the way he looks up at me as he stand over my bag. Wasn’t it a couple years ago that that “hot criminal” made the rounds on social media? What was his name? Jeremy Meeks? Well he wasn’t my type, but this guy most certainly is, not that I even knew a type like him existed.
What is in the water over here? I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s tall like an athlete and has what looks like no body fat. But his face and those eyes. He looks like David Gandy…only better! I didn’t even know that was possible.
I’m still in shock when he reaches down to open my bag. Well, he’s busted now. When my bag doesn’t open Mister Criminal will get hauled away. I may be new to this whole international travel thing, but I’m not about to let myself get taken by some scam artist.
He enters the code and I hear a noise. Wait? Did it just…click open?
He opens the top and suddenly all my panties are on display for the entire airport! Oh my god. My face instantly turns red.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “We must have the same bag.”
“And the same combination,” the little girl says.
I knew I should have picked something more difficult.
I stare in horror at my panties which are still on top of his arm. It’s like he’s not sure if he should touch them or not.
I fall to my knees and shove everything back inside, grabbing the panties from his arm first. Wow, his forearms are pure muscle.
I shut the bag and lock it back up.
“I’m really sorry,” he says as the agent walks off.
She’s just going to leave me here with this guy?
“It was next to my daughters and it looks just like mine. I figured it was—”
“Dad, your luggage!” the little girl says.
He turns and grabs a bag which looks exactly like mine. Same dent and all.
Okay…this is getting weird. I calm down just a little and realize maybe we do have a misunderstanding here…but I’m still not sure.
“See look,” he says as he turns the dials to all sevens right in front of my eyes and the latches release. He opens the bag a little and I see souvenirs that look like they might be for his daughter. “An honest mistake?” he says.
But is this a mistake? I always thought those cheesy movies where people meet serendipitously weren’t real, but that’s what’s literally happening to me. And speaking of honest, I honestly can’t tell him that he seems to have found the combination to a certain part of my anatomy. I’m going to need to duck into the ladies room before I get out of baggage claim because he’s ruining the pair of panties I have on.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s just that I though…”
“There are a lot of thieves and pickpockets here in Greece unfortunately, especially since the crisis. You were right to be wary.”
“Thank you,” I say.
“And it’s my fault. It was your bag. How yours looks like mine and wound up right next to my daughter’s is anybody’s guess.”
“I guess you’re right,” I say. We both laugh at the back-to-back use of guess. It wasn’t intentional, but it was funny.
Who is this guy? Why is he just suddenly in my life like this?
“I saw you looking at your map. Can I give you a hand finding what you’re looking for?”
The moment of truth. Do I tell him I’m okay and allow him to walk out of my life? Do I accept his offer and be more adventurous, as my ex said I wasn’t.
First thing’s first. I look down at his left hand. No ring. I look at his right just to make sure. I think those who prescribe to the Orthodox religion might wear it on the right hand. Nothing there either.
Is he single? Does he cheat when he’s away on business? He said souvenirs and he has his daughter with him. A dad flying in from Paris with his daughter doesn’t sound like a cheater.
“Okay.”
“Thank you,” he says. “I’m glad you’ll allow me to make it up to you for this fiasco. Can you please tell me what you’re looking for?”
I pull out my phone and scroll to the Airbnb reservation I made as soon as the plane landed. I can only imagine how much I’m going to get charged for roaming when I get home.
“You are staying here?” he says. He’s smirking at me and somehow his sexiness level goes up yet another notch just when I think he’s already as high up on the hotness scale as humanly possible.
“Yes,’ I say. “Is that place safe?”
“I hope so. I live just down the block.”
“Oh,” I say.
“I can give you a ride. My car is parked right outside. Please allow me to make it up to you. And it’s better this way. The taxis like ripping off foreigners, as I’m sure they do everywhere.”
He’s got a point about the taxis, and I’m not in a position to be throwing money around this trip…especially money that I shouldn’t have to spend.
This is all just happening so quickly and so…perfectly. Life doesn’t work that way.
I think he notices my dilemma. Maybe having a daughter helps him to understand women better than most men.
“Here,” he says. “Let me show you.” He quickly pulls a wallet out of his pocket and removes what app
ears to be a driver’s license, but it’s in Greek.
“It is in Greek, but the address for your reservation is also in Greek.”
I look down at the booking on my phone and then over at his license. It looks the same.
Another agent walks by. He winks at me.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” he says. “Could you please tell me where this is?” he motions for me to show her my phone.
“It’s just over by the Acropolis,” he says.
“And can you tell me where this is?” he says, showing her his driver’s license.
“It’s the same place isn’t it?” she says after looking at it. She looks at him as if to say, ‘Why are you asking me an obvious question.’
“Thank you,” he says. She raises her eyebrows and walks off.
“It’s not the same place, but it’s just down the street. I’m glad to take you there. We’re going home right now as it is.”
I think back to that movie Taken. Weren’t those Albanian guys who were always kidnapping women from Liam Neeson’s life? And isn’t Albania right next to Greece?
And to make matters worse wasn’t it a young girl that met some guy at the airport in Taken 1?
This is almost exactly the same. That’s just Hollywood, I tell myself trying to rationalize what I want.
I look down and the little girl looks up at me and smiles a big smile. She’s still holding onto the fingers of her dad’s hand, but I can see she’s getting restless.
I think back to what my ex said. I’m boring and I don’t take any risks.
Coming here on a whim was a risk and so far that’s turned out pretty darn well.
You only live once, Jackie. But if you make the wrong decision that once may be a very short once.
“Let’s go!” I say, completely unsure of what I’ve gotten myself into.
CHAPTER 4
Jackie
I told myself if anything looked off I’m pulling the plug on this idea, but so far so good.
I’m not a material girl, but I wasn’t about to get into a run down car. Well, he definitely didn’t have that. He had a sleek, black Range Rover that looked and smelled new. Not only that it was in long term parking which was in line with everything he’d told me.
I set some emergency apps on my phone to alert the local police and the police back home if anything happened to me. I even typed in the license plate number, which I was careful to memorize before I got in the car. Technology is incredible these days, but it still doesn’t make up for stupidity.
And as much as this whole idea sounded crazy, it somehow didn’t sound stupid.
The whole ride to my accommodation he asked me questions about myself and the States as he listened intently. That was a welcome change from what I was used to. Maybe it’s because he was older. Or maybe it’s true what they say about Europeans often having good manners. Or maybe it’s his experience with women and raising a daughter in particular. I wasn’t about to dissect it. Right now I was just glad he was so nice. I was already feeling kind of sad about arriving and not seeing him again during my visit.
I guess some people come into your life for a reason, and he was one. Right place and right time. It will be a nice memory to have after everything that’s just happened to me. It’s good to know that there are nice guys out there. And some of them are smoking hot too.
Even his little daughter didn’t interrupt. She just sat there in the backseat next to me and listened. I caught her staring at me a few times. It was cute. She’s a kid and the whole world must be so interesting to her. I remember those days.
And I appreciate that he didn’t lock my door. He locked Sophia’s door, but it was very apparent he didn’t lock mine. At any stoplight I could just jump out and be gone. Okay, he’d get away with my luggage, but he almost already did that at the airport. I’m still laughing at how that went down…and how this is all going down.
We arrive in front of the place and he quickly stops and opens the trunk.
“Well, it was nice meeting you,” he says. “Will the manager of the flat be arriving soon?”
I remember that Europeans call apartments flats, and I also think about how my mood quickly levels off at the idea of him leaving. But it doesn’t just level off, it drops. I was on a euphoric kind of high thinking about how fun and adventurous my trip is starting off, but the idea of him not being there suddenly brings me back to reality. I need to eat, shower, and figure out what’s going to happen over the next ten days before I go back.
“Yeah, he should be here soon I think. I just messaged him on Airbnb and texted him. He hasn’t replied yet, but it shouldn’t be long.”
“Okay, I’ll wait with you until he arrives.”
“No, no. It’s okay. I’ll be fine really. If everyone in Greece is as friendly as you then this trip is going to be perfect.” I may be laying it on a little thick, but oh well.
“Well, we certainly are friendly people,” he says.
He gives me some pointers on where to go and where to eat. He tells me the places I have to see and how I should come back in the summer and check out the world famous islands. He says I’m welcome to come stay at his place on some island that he named so quickly and with a Greek pronunciation that I couldn’t even understand. I’ll have to ask for his number when the apartment guy shows up.
But he doesn’t show up. A full thirty minutes go by and I send some more messages including WhatsApp. That way I can see if he’s receiving and reading my messages.
It looks like they’re going through but he’s not reading them.
“Are you sure he’s renting during this time of year?” he asks. “Many of the rentals in Greece shut down for the winter and then reopen in the spring. Maybe he just forgot to take the listing down.”
I scroll through the reviews and see the last review was left in August. Maybe he’s right.
“I’ll just wait a little longer,” I say. “I’ll go grab a coffee at the place you recommended so you and your daughter can get on with your day. Thank you so much for--”
He raises a finger to my lips. He doesn’t touch them but he’s close.
“Please. Stop with this crazy talk,” he says. I smile immediately at his sense of humor. “We will not leave you until the person from the flat arrives. It’s not how we do things here,” he says.
I could get used to ‘the way they do things here,’ I think to myself. What a gentleman he is.
“Sophia and I need to eat ourselves. Would you care to join us? If the man arrives you are welcome to leave immediately. I think they can even wrap your things quickly in a takeaway container.”
What cloud did this guy fall off of? And why did he land right in my life? I’m certainly not complaining. This is too good to be true.
“If you’re sure you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” he says. “Just one second.”
He walks over to the Range Rover and opens his daughter’s door. They come back to my side and we walk down the cobblestone street towards the restaurant.
“I’m very sorry about my manners,” he says.
“Your manners? You’ve been nothing but amazing,” I say.
“Thank you, but in the haste of everything I forgot to introduce myself. I am Nikolaos, but you can call me Nick. And this is my daughter, Sophia.”
“Nice to meet you, Nick. I’m Jackie.” I bend down and get on Sophia’s level. “Nice to meet you, Sophia.” I say. I extend my hand and she takes it right away. She doesn’t seem too shy at all right now.
I give her hand a little shake and she laughs. Suddenly she shakes my hand really high and then really low. We both laugh. Wow! She’s really fun. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, but never really spent much time around kids. No one in my family has kids so I don’t have a lot of experience around them. Sophia shows me just what I’ve been missing.
CHAPTER 5
Nick
“A shot of ouzo?” the waiter asks.
“Would you like to try ou
r national drink, Jackie?” I ask. “It contains alcohol.”
“Sure! Why not?”
“Two please,” I ask from the waiter.
Less than a minute later our shots arrive. “To traveling and meeting wonderful people from other cultures,” I say.
“Cheers to that,” she says.
We tip back our shots and I’m feeling good. The lamb and Greek salad were incredible. Dimitriou has been treating me well for years, since I first came here as a boy.
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